Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster Brings Strategy to the Switch

Oh man, where do I even start? So, confession time. Never got around to playing the original Bravely Default on the trusty ol’ Nintendo 3DS. Yep, I hear ya—I’m probably missing out on RPG greatness. Friends rave about it like it’s the second coming of Final Fantasy or something. But hey, Square Enix kinda bailed me out here—surprise! They dropped a demo for Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster at PAX East 2025. So here I am, blissfully ignorant yet ready to dive in fresh. No preconceived notions, just pure chaos.

First off, major change: no more dual screens like before. Bummer, right? But wait—they’ve gone nuts with high-def graphics. Shiny enough to blind you. There’s this snazzy new UI too. I cheekily asked the Square Enix rep if they’d be sprucing up Bravely Second: End Layer next. I mean, it seems like a logical step, right? Her reaction was a bit of a poker face, but I like to think I planted a seed there. Maybe they’ll give me credit when it happens. Maybe not.

Now, demo time. Imagine this: I skipped through dialogue faster than a kid on Halloween candy. Not ideal for story lovers—but necessary evil due to time constraints. But the combat—oh lord, it’s unique. The game’s battle mechanics revolve around these two cool moves: Brave and Default. Wanna smash enemies? Go Brave. It lets you chain up to four attacks but then oops, you’re a sitting duck. Default lets you hunker down and save up turns, so you can go all out later without the hangover. Genius, right? Me being reckless, I just bashed through with Brave, hoping to not get clobbered in return.

Sadly, didn’t really get to poke around the job system—seemed like there’s depth waiting to be explored. For now, though? Color me impressed. I definitely regret skipping it on 3DS, but this remaster’s timing couldn’t be more perfect. Seriously, mark June 5th on your calendar. That’s when Switch 2 drops, and you don’t wanna miss out on this. Trust me. Or don’t. Anyway, I’m signing off now—the chaos must return!